A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

29 March 2015

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

The problem with a Biblical prophecy and a promise fulfilled is that most
people donít live like they really want it, which leads us to ask, but who
will believe or listen?

Greed and selfishness most often take over, and few are those who truly
believe and walk the talk; this is particularly true when it comes to the
exploitation of animals, all of which is totally immoral and against the
teachings of Jesus and the heavenly will of God.

With these thoughts in mind, letís take a look at Psalm 118:15-29Ö

15. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the
righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

Many people claim salvation and shout in an attempt to impress other people,
but their lives are not permanently changed to adhere to Godís will; thus,
there is no evidence of a promise fulfilled, which includes their salvation.

The right hand of the Lord does do valiant things, including the promise of
salvation, but if people donít change from their worldly ways, where is the
promise fulfilled in their lives?

16. The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

17. I shall not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.

Many people tell of the works of the Lord, but relatively few people live in
the heavenly will of God, which is the evidence of their salvation and
eternal life; rather they continue to live in the ways of this corrupt world
and contribute to the pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death, particularly of
animals, with apparently no empathy for them.

18. The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

This is what may happen when we truly repent of our evil ways, but without
true repentance and a life changing promise fulfilled, there is only death
remaining.

19. Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.

20. This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.

This is the kind of prophecy we were talking about in the beginning of our
discussion, and for the true believers who live in the heavenly will of God,
this becomes a promise fulfilled in their lives.

But it is not for most people; think about what we are told in Matthew
7:13-14Ö

13. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad
that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.

14. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
few are those who find it.
NASB

So, the reality is that relatively few people are able to open the gates of
righteousness for the Lord.

22. The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.

This stone is a prophetic example of Jesus, who despite all His peaceful and
loving teachings, and His celebrated entry into Jerusalem, He was rejected
by the majority of the people and was crucified; however, their evil intent
failed, for Jesus rose from the dead and became Lord of all like a chief
corner stone, and Savior of all who would accept Him.

23. This is the Lord's doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.

24. This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the way it naturally is in the lives of those who have salvationís
promise fulfilled in their lives.

Many try to fake this heavenly life change, but when we look at the way they
live, we can clearly see that they are still living in the corrupt ways of
this world.

29. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
NASB

This psalm ends on a very uplifting promise for us to live by, in the face
of a corrupt world that is filled with pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death
for millions of our fellow human beings and billions of animals every year.

For if the Lord is good, and His lovingkindness is everlasting, then
anything in this world that is not good and loving for every living being is
not of the heavenly will of God, but from the devil and the people who
follow him in this corrupt world.

In Mark 11:1-11, we are told of Jesusí entry into Jerusalem.

1. And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the
Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples,

2. and said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as
you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever
sat; untie it and bring it here.

3. "And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you say, 'The Lord
has need of it'; and immediately he will send it back here."

4. And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the
street; and they untied it.

5. And some of the bystanders were saying to them, "What are you doing,
untying the colt?"

6. And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them
permission.

7. And they brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He
sat upon it.

Jesus was showing the people a promise fulfilled, to help them believe, as
prophesied by Zechariah in 9:9Ö

9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
NASB

Letís return to our Mark passageÖ

8. And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread leafy
branches which they had cut from the fields.

9. And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out,
"Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;

10. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!"

It is one thing to shout these words, and another to truly believe it in our
hearts and souls, for remember that just a few days after they shouted these
praises, they also shouted ďCrucify Him!Ē

This shows the fickle and worldly nature of most people.

11. And He entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking all
around, He departed for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.
NASB

Jesus was sickened by what He saw in and around the temple and how far they
had departed from the heavenly will of God.

They were not seeking a promise fulfilled, such as seeing the heavenly will
of God on earth as it is in heaven, or seeing the peaceable kingdom become a
reality in our day, or in seeing the whole of creation being freed from its
present corruption.

For, it they were seeking a promise fulfilled, they would also have been
working for it to come about, rather than adding to the corruption of Godís
beautiful creation by eating and wearing animals or supporting the warring
madness going on all over the world.

We can live as the peacemaking children of God, if we really want to.

We can see the promise fulfilled in the risen Christ, and live in the
heavenly will of God as Jesus taught us to do.

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